Liège: 194 arrests in a week of unrest, minors manipulated by anarchist movements
Since 1 October, Liège police have arrested 194 people, including 114 minors, during urban unrest marked by violence against shops and law enforcement. The Interior Minister denounces the manipulation of children by far-left movements.
Escalation of violence in Liège
According to TF1 Info, tensions persist in Liège as urban unrest continues. On Wednesday 7 October, police recorded 87 additional arrests, bringing the total since Thursday 1 October to 194 detentions. Of these arrests, 158 are administrative and 36 are judicial. In total, 43 police officers have been injured and numerous shops have suffered damage in the city centre.
The profile of those committing violence is changing rapidly. Until 6 October, 70 per cent of those arrested were minors, sometimes very young. This figure fell to 50 per cent on 7 October, indicating growing participation by adults exploiting the unrest for criminal purposes. Jean-Marc Demelenne, head of the Liège police zone, notes that "profiles with nothing to do with the student movement" are now participating simply to steal or cause damage.
Accusation of organised manipulation
Interior Minister Bernard Quintin denounced on Thursday the manipulation of children by political structures. "We are talking about pupils, children who, despite the spontaneous movement of last week, are clearly being manipulated and infiltrated," he states. He particularly points the finger at movements of the "Antifa" type, which he holds responsible for using minors to carry political messages.
Quintin also calls on parents and schools to assume their respective responsibilities. He emphasises that "responsibilities must be taken at the level of parents in overseeing their children" and that "education is compulsory in Belgium". The minister believes these factors are contributing to the current crisis.
New restrictive measures
Faced with the persistence of violent gatherings, the burgomaster of Liège has issued a decree prohibiting gatherings of more than three people across the entire territory. The vandal movement has even extended to the Liège Fair, where street traders fought back with iron bars against the damage. Quintin describes the images of violence as "unprecedented" and insists on the need for an immediate end to the riots before someone is seriously injured.
Liège police have maintained substantial security measures since the start of the unrest, with resources described as "impressive" by the head of the police zone.
Source: TF1 Info